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NORMI Knows Mold

September 22, 2017 Abita Springs, LA Doug Hoffman, Executive Director of NORMI, the National Organization of Remediators and Mold Inspectors, held a FREE public seminar in Treasure Island, FL on Wednesday night helping property owners understand how to protect themselves for the health problems associated with mold. Prior to the seminar, Fox 13 News Tampa […]

Why NORMI ONSITE vs. ONLINE Training?

Abita Springs, LA “I was able to ask questions specific to my business, touch the tools and connect with other professionals who could supplement what I don’t do. It was a great way to build a team.” “It was worth the investment. Yes, I had to spend a couple of nights in a hotel but […]

NORMI Water Classes Will Change Your Business!

Abita Springs, LA NORMI, the National Organization of Remediators and Mold Inspectors, announces a brand-new direction for mold professionals. Water extraction and drying classes are now a part of the onsite training program offered to mold professionals, both assessors and remediators. The classes are designed to educate anyone who does emergency drying or water losses […]

Ask a Mold Expert: What Do I Use to Kill Mold on a Roof?

We often get some very interesting questions from our members, and others in the building and construction community. We recently were posed one that we believe would be helpful for the public. A roofing contractor recently sent us this message: “I saw your article about sodium hypochlorite not killing mold on asphalt roofing by Doug Hoffman. I […]

Salem VA Cited for Mold Exposure

REPRINT from Advisen.com Source: Roanoke Times 03/28/2017 A federal workplace safety agency has cited the Salem VA Medical Center for a serious violation for allowing employees to be exposed to indoor mold, thereby creating unsafe and unhealthy working conditions. U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration inspections of Building 75 at the Department of Veterans Affairs […]

Dr. Oz Recommends Certification/Licensing for Mold Professionals

Abita Springs, LA 03/12/17 Dr. Oz completed a great segment on 02/27 dealing with toxic mold and the dangers the public may face when being scammed by unlicensed, untrained mold guys. NORMI and the IICRC were upheld as “the good guys”, credible, national training/certification organizations that help clients with assessing and cleaning up mold problems […]

And the company has invested quite a bit of money in making sure the air handling and circulating systems are every bit as state-of-the-art as the hotels telecommunications features, he said.

Neicei Degen walked into her hotel room at Hilton Washington & Towers looking forward to a relaxing week in the capital. She walked right out.

The problem, the Peabody, Mass., administrator says, wasn't the glitzy décor or the limited view. It was the air, which she describes as a musty blend of stale air and cleaning fumes.

"I didn't know what the blazes hit me," says Degen, who is chemically sensitive. "It was a beautiful hotel room, but I had to get out of there."

Degen learned something most travelers never suspect: Hotels might add Internet lines and spruce up suites, but air quality isn't getting a much attention.

Experts say it may sometimes cause everything from headaches to fatigue.

Clinics from San Francisco to Boston specializing in travel health say almost 25 percent of patients who are frequent hotel guests complain about air quality.

At Travel Health Services, a clinic in Manhattan, patient complaints range from kitchen fumes to bad ventilation, says the medical director, Bradley Connor. He adds the number is growing. It's
such an issue that some companies - and even a few travelers - are hiring environmental consultants to check out hotels before they check in.

The problems range from old air- conditioning systems to airtight wallpaper that designers love, but building engineers hate. (They say as good as it looks, its even better at growing mildew.) And
that's not to mention paint fumes, cleaning solvents and deodorizers brewing in a typical room.

The outside air has its own problems, from pollution to pollen, that circulate through any hotel. Rick Layton, chief executive officer at Servidyne Systems Inc., a building-engineering company in
Atlanta, estimates that only about half of all hotels provide air that's adequately clean.

"A lot of hotels are just afraid to deal with it," he says, adding that telltale signs range from the smell of mold to stale air.

Even many hotel chains say indoor air quality deserves more attention, especially in light of so-called sick-building syndrome. Some prominent chains are improving maintenance schedules on
air-conditioning systems and using more environmentally friendly cleaning products. Others are ripping out wallpaper that can produce too much mold.

In the Tampa Bay area, many hotels have comprehensive engineering departments in charge of dealing with indoor air quality, said Bob Morrison, executive director of Hillsborough County Hotel and
Motel Association.